


A Broken Mirror

by mckoy12345678910



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-30
Updated: 2013-06-30
Packaged: 2017-12-16 15:38:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/863690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mckoy12345678910/pseuds/mckoy12345678910
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Del, a thirteen year old girl that has abusive parents, struggles to trust anyone, including her new found brother, Spencer Reid. Self harm and Dark themes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Why does everything bad happen to me?   
A whimper escapes from my mouth. In an instant, a cold rock solid hand comes in contact with my face.   
"Shut up, b****."   
That was how all of it had started. I was seven years old when my father had started to beat me; it had become more frequent when I grew older. I had been to the hospital six times in a month, with my parents saying I just played rough, and that I had fallen down the stairs, or even a bike accident.   
I had only been ten when my mother had started to help my father by pinning me down when I started to fight back.   
I was locked in my room before and after school. Even my classmates didn't notice me. It was like I had been completely invisible. My teacher didn't take any notice to my scars on my arms. It was like I didn't matter. And the thing is; I don't.   
If I die, the world would carry on. There would be little to no acknowledge of my disappearance. My father would mourn for ten seconds, and my mother would probably find another play thing for him.   
A month ago, everything had changed.   
My father had come home drunk, and wreaked of alcohol. He had come to my room, and dragged me into the living room where he had beaten me until his knuckles started to bleed. He then went to get a bat. He hit me so hard, I had heard a few of my ribs crack. When he was done, he left me to bleed to death. I had been screaming so loud, a neighbor heard me, and called the police. That was how I was somehow saved from the hell I somehow called home.   
That's how I am standing in a social services office. A lady, about in her forties beckons me to sit down in front of her desk. She has blond hair, pulled up into a pony tail with a business suit, and chestnut eyes.   
I carefully sit down onto a leather cushioned seat.   
"Your name is Delaney Reid, correct?" I nod, and interject, "Del." The case worker smiles and opens a file with my initials on it.   
"How old are you?" I answer swiftly, "Thirteen." She nods in understatement, and then looks over my file once more, adding a few notes.   
"Do you know of any relatives who would be able to care for you?" I shake my head. The only relative I know of is my aunt which died when I was six.   
The case worker excuses herself, and leaves.   
My family- I shudder at the memory of calling them my family- and I had lived in Little Rock, Arkansas, and had moved to Houston, Texas when I was seven.   
The case worker comes back in, while on the phone. She ends the call, and sits back behind her desk and smiles.   
"I have news for you, young lady. I was just on the phone with a man by the name of Spencer Reid; your brother. Now, I understand that this is very new to you, and that haven't even met him. Now, before you make the decision of seeing him or not, I would like for you to know a little about him. His name is Spencer Reid, and lives in Quantico, Virginia. I just spoke to him, and he seems very interested into seeing you."   
I have a brother.  
\--l/b--  
S. Reid's POV-  
I have a sister.  
I end the call, and stare wide eyed at the rest of my team. They seem just as surprised as I do. The case worker only told me her situation. Abusive parents, and unstable environment. I stare dumbfounded at my team.   
"Are you seriously considering not taking her?" JJ is the first one to speak.   
"Absolutely not. It is, of course, up to her to come here, although, my calculations suggest-." Morgan puts a hand on my shoulder.   
"It's not depending on whether the probability is in favor or not in favor of her coming. It's about whether or if she is ready to see you. She has just found out that she has a brother which she hadn't had a clue of existing." I take into account of what Morgan said. If she is ready to see me, I'll take her with open arms.   
My phone starts to ring, and I see that it's the case worker. I look around nervously at my team. JJ nods her head, beckoning me on to answer it. I come to my senses, and answer it.   
"Hello?"   
"She wants to meet you."  
\--l/b--  
No one's POV  
Spencer Reid waits nervously at his desk, eyes locked onto the door. Only yesterday had he found out he had a sister, and now he's waiting for her and the case worker to arrive at his work building.   
The door opens to reveal a woman and a girl. The girl glances around obviously nervous, with long curly brown hair with green-grey eyes, around 4'7. The woman is about 5'5, blond hair, with blue eyes. The girl is wearing jeans, a star wars shirt, and a grey jacket on with black converse shoes. The woman is in a business suit, with her hair up in a bun.   
Spencer stands, and walks over, with his team's eyes burning into his back.   
"Hello, I'm Spencer Reid." The woman smiles, and shakes his hand, while the girl observes her surroundings, as if she was expecting an attack.   
Del realizes that he is looking at her, and seems a little uncomfortable with his intense gaze. He looks concerned, and only then does she realize she's shaking like a scared chihuahua.   
"Is there an area where we can look over some paper work?" Spencer nods immediately, and leads them to a conference room. The case worker sits next to Del, facing Spencer.   
"I'm sorry, we haven't properly met. I am Carla Redwood." Spencer gives her a small smile. "I'm Dr. Spencer Reid."   
Del soon realizes both adults are staring at her. She is still shaking, but she manages a small, "Del." Spencer smiles.   
"Nice to meet you, Del." He tries to make eye contact, but Del asphyxiates her eyes to her lap, fiddling with her fingers.   
When they go over the paper work, Del takes this as a chance to get an idea of where she is. This place is to different than her home. She had lived in a one story house with only two bedrooms, and a kitchen, dining room, living room, that were constructed into one room. She had only a mattress with a pillow and a blanket, with only a small desk with a lamp. She only had a few t-shirts, two pairs of jeans, and one pair of shoes. She only had a few books, a composition book, and few dollars saved over time. She had only carried her clothes, books, composition book, and her savings; that's why she only had a small messenger bag.   
"Del?" She converts her eyes, purposefully avoiding eye contact. She makes sure they acknowledge that she's paying attention.   
"I hope you have a good time getting to know each other. Dr. Reid, you may call me if you have any questions or concerns." She smiles at Del and Spencer, and then leaves.   
Spencer observed Del, taking in all of her features. She was very small for her age, very thin. Her face was hollow, probably from not eating a lot. She had long hair, reaching her waist. Her eyes complimented her hair. He did notice the small, but noticeable bags under her eyes. It looked like she hadn't had slept in ages. He also noticed the scar on her neck, and one small scar made on a side of her neck, that looked like it was made by a knife.   
He could see very clearly that she was nervous and scared?   
"I want you to meet my team. Come on, and then I can show you around."   
She weighs her options, but stands and follows Spencer. He opens the door for her, and lays his hand carefully on her shoulder. She flinches, and spins around, shaking, eyeing him carefully.   
Spencer quickly sees that it will take time to gain her trust. He can tell that she is scared, and not very used to human contact.   
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He can see his team eyeing them cautiously, thinking of the right approach to introducing themselves.   
Del had never been more scared in her life. She wasn't used to human contact that wasn't going to cause her physical harm.   
Spencer leads her to a different conference room.  
His entire team was there.   
"Hello everyone, this is Del."   
Del is still shaking, looking around at everyone, looking if they have any sort of weapon. Derek is the first one to say something.   
"Hello Del, I'm Derek Morgan, but you can call me Derek." Morgan smiles and steps forward, causing Del to step back, eyeing him carefully. Penelope eyes them carefully before introducing herself.   
"Hi, Del! It's so nice to meet you. I'm Penelope, also called the Goddess of Computer and Tech!"   
Del eyes her timidly, letting her eyes travel to everyone, ready for an attack. JJ, Emily, and Rossi introduce themselves. Hotch waits until everyone had introduced themselves.   
Del was still shaking like a mad dog, and had just nodded to everyone. Although, Hotch had a different approach.  
"Su cuy'gar, Del. I ulur gar serim as...as ka'ra akaan. ner gai cuyir Hotch."   
Del was taken aback. Had he just speak Mandalorian in perfect pronunciation?   
On the other hand, the entire team, even Spencer, didn't know what Hotch had said. Spencer was even more confused when Del responded to the foreign language.  
"ner gai cuyir Del. I nak'mir gar kar'taylir Mando'a." Hotch smiled. Del's shaking subsided, while Spencer became more confused.  
"What were you speaking?" Del returned to look scared, and started to shake once more, eyeing Spencer as if he had just murdered someone.   
"Mando'a. A common language amongst CT-7567 as well as many other Mandalorians, including clones." Spencer didn't know what logic he was using. He looked questionably to Del, but she didn't meet his gaze.   
"What are you talking about?"   
Del half way met his gaze, answering in a small voice, "A language used in Star Wars, almost every clone, including CT-7567, also known as Captain Rex knows it. In Star Wars the Clone Wars, the Republic started to manufacture clones that would fight in war. They manufactured them on the planet of Mandalore, explaining why clones know the Mandalorian language. CT-7567 is called Captain Rex, with Ahsoka Tano as his commander. Ashoka Tano is Master Anakin Skywalker's padawan, of which he strongly disagreed to teaching a Padawan, but soon came to his sense by the coaxing of Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Master Obi-Wan Kenobi's master was Qui-Gon Jinn. Qui Gon Jinn died in a battle on the planet of Naboo. Master Anakin Skywalker broke the Jedi code by having inappropriate relations with Senator Padme Amidala. They were secretly married, making Anakin Skywalker's status as a Jedi Knight as risk-" Del stopped mid sentence, with everyone's eyes on her. Spencer was surprised at her knowledge of so much that has to do with Star Wars.  
"Wow, Hotch, I never knew you could be such a geek." Spencer shot daggers Morgan's way, making him aware of the fact he called Del a geek. Penelope stepped in.   
"How about Del and you go back to your place? Sound good?" Spencer was just made aware of the fact that his car had a flat tire, and he didn't have a spare one.   
"My car has a flat tire, and I don't have a spare one. Can anyone give us a ride to my place?" JJ volunteered.   
Spencer looked over to Del, only to see a small bag hanging on the side of her shoulder.   
"Is that all you brought?" Del quickly moved her eyes to Spencer. She nodded quickly, and brought her gaze back to the carpet. Spencer nodded.  
JJ, Spencer, and Del left to JJ's car, a black SUV. JJ drove, with Spencer in the passenger seat, and Del in the back, behind JJ. Spencer glanced back at Del, who had her bag in her lap, and hand on the door handle, like she was ready to be attacked.   
Del had seen different landmarks, and kept a firm grip on the door handle, in case something happened. She still hadn't even begun to start to trust Spencer. She had started to trust Hotch a little bit, because he proved that he didn't want to harm her; he knew one of her most favorite interest; Star Wars. She loved Star Wars, along with Forensics. Forensics is her absolute passion; bringing justice to those who can't speak for themselves, who died in the process.   
They arrive at Spencer's house. While Spencer and JJ say goodbye, Del observes the complex. It seems secure.  
Spencer comes up from behind her.   
"I don't live that far up there. I live on the third floor." Spencer leads her to his apartment, using the elevator.   
Del looks around, to see a very clean and organized room. There was a kitchen to her left, dining room to her right, and living room about ten feet away from her. There was a brown couch, facing a flat screen TV, surrounded by books on both sides, organized in alphabetical order. Del looked at all of the books, and read every name. The majority of the books were about true crime, and some Forensic subject based books, although some were arithmetic, cultures, science, and psychology.   
Spencer lead her to her room, which was a spare bedroom that had a twin sized bed with mocha sheets, a night stand, and a dresser that would fit ten times her clothes.   
"My room is just next to yours, so you can ask me for anything. There are two bathrooms, your bedroom has one right over there," He points to a white door on the far left of the bedroom, "and one in separating your and my bedroom," Spencer ponders for a moment,"You can unpack, and get settled while I get dinner. Any preferences?" Del shakes her head.   
"I'm not hungry." Spencer nods, but decides to get some extra food if she changes her mind. Spencer leaves Del alone.  
Del sets down her bag on the bed, and only pulls out her composition book. She takes her shoes off, and puts them in the bag, and then sets it down next to the bed. She crawls on the bed, and relishes in it's silky and soft sheets. She leans against the pillow, and flips open the book, and gets the pencil that's within the book. She starts to draw, and checks the clock on the wall. 7:09pm.   
About forty five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Spencer opened the door.  
"Dinner's here. Even if you're not hungry, I want to talk to you." Spencer enters the room, and notices the composition book. Del puts it down, face up.   
She drew a devil looking ghost, surrounded by flames. It was shaded, and had no color.   
Del noticed he was looking at her drawing, and closed it quickly, putting the pencil back in the book, and setting it on the nightstand. She turned around, and started towards the living room.   
There was Chinese food on the table, with two plates set out. Spencer gestured for her to sit down, while he did.   
When they both were seated, Spencer filled his plate, while Del looked uncomfortable.   
"I enrolled you into Middleton High School. I researched, and it's in the top five schools across the nation."   
Del was taken aback. She worked up the courage to ask, "High School? I'm only thirteen?" and I'm already a freak; I don't need to start High School two years early.   
"The case worker- Ms. Redwood sent over your academic record. I saw that you were exceeding the grade's standards, and had a perfect GPA. Your record said you could have skipped two years of school." Del nodded.  
"When do I start?" Spencer swallowed his food, and looked over to Del.   
"It's in the middle of the year, but I believe you start this Monday. The school said as long as you had a pencil, paper, and a binder, you'd be fine. I was planning that we would get the supplies tomorrow. Garcia- sorry, Penelope said she would be more than happy to take you shopping tomorrow after we get your items, but that, of course, is up to you." It was only Saturday, but Del nods her head.   
When they finished dinner, before Del goes back to her room, Spencer says,   
"If you want to read any books on the shelves, you're welcome to."   
Del nods, and goes back to her room.   
What in the hell have I gotten myself into?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Imagine that Del looks like Abigail Breslin (BROWN HAIR). Here is what Hotch and Del said in this chapter, and in the past chapter  
> Chapter 1:  
> Hotch: Hello, Del. I notice you like Star Wars. My name is Hotch.  
> Del: My name is Del. I didn't know you knew Mando'a.  
> Chapter 2:   
> Hotch: You find anything?  
> Del: Some clothes.

Del's POV  
"Come here, b****!" My father calls for me from my bedroom. I know what's coming next. I go to the living room, and he starts to hit me; but it's different. He murmurs things into my ear; things that no girl should ever hear from their father.   
"Stop it, daddy, stop! Please stop!" He growls, and slaps me. I struggle, but he carries me to the couch.   
He undresses himself and-  
That's when I wake up, screaming. Tears are streaming down my face.   
Someone swings open the door, and I turn the light on. I am even more ashamed when I see that it's Spencer; I must've woken him up.   
"What happened? Are you okay?" I shake my head, trembling like a lost lap dog. Spencer walks slowly up to the bed, and carefully sits down on the edge. My crying subsides, but I know I must've visibly flinched, showing my discomfort.   
"What was the dream about?" I meet his gaze, now fully seeing his chestnut eyes, and scraggly hair.   
"My father." My voices cracks.   
"Do you want to talk about it?" I shake my head.   
I have always bottled up my emotions, keeping my walls up at all times, but I know it'll be hard with a criminal profiler for a brother.  
"Come on, I'll make you some hot chocolate." I nod, and stand up.   
I am wearing the same clothes I wore when I met him. I grab my gray jacket and slip it on.   
I follow him to the kitchen, and stay at the other side of the kitchen. Spencer glances at me, questionably.   
"Do you want to help me make it?" I nod.   
"Could I please only have water?" Spencer nods carefully, eyeing me, as if he is expecting me to give in to chocolate, like every teenager.   
He makes the hot substance, and sits down with me, at the table.   
I drink some of the water, and set it down carefully on a place mat, being careful not to spill it. I spark a little conversation.   
"What kind of cases do you work on?" Spencer looks up, and says, "My team and I work on cases that involve the knowledge of what an unsub's personality is."   
Maybe I could help him? That was in the same field as Forensic Anthropology. Spencer stares at me.   
"What would you like to do when you become and adult?" I do not hesitate.   
"Forensic Anthropology and Pathologist." Spencer nods, and eyes his warm mug.   
When we both finish our drinks, Spencer suggests that I try to get more sleep, since it's only 4:00am. He said he wakes up around 6am each morning.   
I slip into bed, with my stomach hollow.   
I haven't eaten in over a week and a half. The only thing that I have given myself is water. I am punishing myself for a reason, I don't know. Maybe because I had to the chance to leave but I never could? Because I consider myself a coward? Or maybe because I have thought of committing suicide?  
I fall asleep, and start to dream of what my life would be like if I had a different family.   
\--l/b--  
Spencer's POV   
I walk back to my room, but decide to get ready anyway.   
I take a show, and get ready, and then go back to the kitchen to make some coffee.   
I get some instant pancakes ready, and set them in the middle of the table, and then grab two glasses on the two place mats.   
I hear some rustling sounds coming from Del's bathroom. I bought a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a hair brush.   
In about 10 minutes, she enters the living room. She has damp hair made up into a messy bun. She has the same jeans on, and a different t-shirt with 'Star Wars the Clone Wars: The Republic Strikes Back,' with the same jacket on.   
I motion her to sit down at the dining room table. I fill my plate with pancakes, but she makes no move to have anything to eat.   
"Today, I was planning on taking you to work, and then going to the store, and then Penelope said she would take you shopping. We are going out to eat with the team tonight, is that okay?" Del seems distracted, but she nods.   
"Aren't you hungry?" She shakes her head, and keeps her eyes locked onto her lap.   
"Since you aren't hungry, I am going to get my things ready, and then we can go." I excuse myself, and get my things.   
\--l/b--  
No one's POV  
While Spencer gathered his things for work, Del packed everything she brought neatly into her messenger bag, and went to sit in the living room.   
She looked at the bookshelves, reading every name, but then choosing a book roughly around eight hundred pages.  
She opened the book, and started to read it, waiting for Spencer.   
Spencer entered the living room to see Del on the fifty seventh page, reading every word carefully, but very fast, about the same pace as him, maybe even a little faster.   
"I'm ready. Morgan is going to be driving us. You can bring that book if you want."   
Del brought the book with her, and followed Spencer.   
They made their way over to a black SUV. Spencer got into the passenger seat, and Del sat in the back, eyes glued to the book.   
"Good morning, Del. What are you reading?" Morgan's voice interrupted her reading, but she looked up.   
"Silhouette by C.J. Miller." Morgan had never heard of that book, but Spencer's head whipped around to face a startled Del.   
"I didn't know- Oh God- That book?" Del started to close the book, and set it down. She moved her hand to the door handle.   
"No- I'm not angry. It's just, that book isn't really appropriate for your age range. It's too gruesome." Del became somewhat frightened. Wasn't she allowed to read? It wouldn't surprise her.   
"Does that mean can't read this book?" Spencer weighed out the options, but Morgan elbowed his arm, signaling for him to say that she can.  
"You can." The rest of the ride was silent.  
When they arrived at the Bureau, Everyone was in the conference room, looking over some crime scene photos.   
Spencer pulled Del to the side and said,   
"I don't want you in there. My team and I are looking over some pretty gruesome crime scene photos." Del merely nodded, but when Spencer entered the conference room, she followed, and glanced at the photos; no one noticed her.   
A girl about sixteen, with brown hair, with grey eyes, was on there unclothed, with a religion symbol on her chest, made with a sword. She was tied against a wall with medieval chains around her neck, with her head decapitated.  
Spencer noticed Del first, grabbed her shoulders, and turned her so she couldn't see the pictures.   
"What are you doing, Del? I told you to wait for me outside." Del didn't answer, and was shaking more than yesterday, if that was possible.   
Spencer noticed he still had a firm hold on her shoulder, and he unclasped his hands from her shoulders, and backed away one step.  
"I wanted to see what you were doing. I thought I could help." She said quietly. Spencer looked at her sympathetically.   
"If you want to help, you could wait out here for me." Del refused to take that as an answer.  
"No, I can. You are obviously dealing with a psychological impaired history buff. The girl is made to look like Anne Boleyn who died on May 19, 1536. She was beheaded on the Tower of London. People believe her sister was the cause of this, but there was no proof. The unsub is most likely her priest from church, or her history teacher. The unsub was trying to re-create what happened to Anne. The girl is almost the exact replica of Anne Boleyn, no wonder why he chose her."   
Spencer had almost the exact same theory.   
"How can you justify the solution?" Spencer decided to see if Del would respond to a little arithmetic.  
"3/4 of my solution is correct, and the 1/4 of the solution that is incorrect is my synopsis of the girl's living situation. We have no physical explanation as to why or how the girl was abducted. Correct, we do know that the girl looks a lot like Anne Boleyn, but we do not-incorrect- know that she was in fact dying willingly for her religion- fore go, the priest. In fact, if she did die willingly, it would explain the symbol on her chest. In the medieval times, they executed all witches, or people who they believed practiced dark magic. This could be sacrificial as well." Spencer nodded, believing every word she said.   
His team, on the other hand, was completely amazed by the thirteen year old's knowledge.   
"Thank you, Del." Spencer turned to his team. "What was her religion?"   
Hotch answered, "Catholic." Del widened her eyes.   
"It's a woman. Yes, your unsub will be a woman, roughly around thirty five years old, and she will most likely be protestant. She is acting as Anne Boleyn's sister, Elizabeth. No one knows for sure, but Elizabeth was protestant, and murdered people who weren't. She had always disagreed with her sister, Anne. The unsub was carrying out her beliefs, not re-creating the scene, but she committed the murder for her religion."   
Everyone, aside from Spencer, was very surprised.   
"Thank you, Del." Spencer turned to Hotch, "I am going to read more about Anne Boleyn legacies. Since we know that the unsub is committing these crimes for her religion, there has to be another target."  
Hotch dismissed the team. Penelope, Emily, and JJ walked up to Del.   
"Hi, Del! Reid told us that he needed to take you school supplies shopping. Since he's tied up here, we figured we could take you. We were thinking we could go get your school stuff, get some food, and then go shopping!" Garcia exclaimed.  
Never in her life, had Del gone shopping. Her parents gave her some of their old things, most them ragged, and unwearable.   
Del looked at the floor, and answered with a small nod.   
Garcia broadened her smile, "I need to get my purse. You can tell Reid we're going to leave."   
Having to talk to Spencer overcame Del's body with fear. Del glanced over at Spencer's office, to see him reading an old, ragged book that looked ancient.   
Del gripped her messenger bag tightly, and made her way over to Spencer's desk. All of the BAU team watched carefully.  
Spencer noticed Del walking up to him, and smiled. He put down the book, and turned his attention to his sister.   
Del shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. She mustered up the courage to speak.  
"P-Penelope, Emily, and JJ w-wanted to um- to- uh take m-me shopping. I-Is that okay?" Del let her eyes wander to Spencer's face to look for any kind of emotion as to what he was feeling.   
Spencer nodded, "Of course. Here," He reached into his wallet, and took out a credit card, "take this with you."  
He extended his arm towards her, and she eyes his extended arm, wearily.   
"I don't want to-." Spencer cuts her sentence off, short. "No, take it. I insist."   
Del learned to never disobey. She takes the card, and puts it into her pocket.   
Garcia comes back, and pipes in, "Come on, Del! We'll be going in my car."   
Del nodded, and followed Garcia, Prentiss, and JJ to Garcia's car. They piled into the car; Garcia, the driver, Prentiss in the passenger seat, and JJ and Del in the back.   
"So, Del, are any color preferences when we go shopping?" Garcia keeps her eyes locked on the road.   
Del has her eyes locked on her lap but answers, "No, not really." Garcia nods, and still tries to spark a conversation.  
"When we go shopping for your school items, we will be getting you some books that you like; not Reid's book choices." Del looks up.  
"I don't mind Spencer's choices. They're actually really alike to mine." Garcia looks up for a moment, and smiles. Of course Del would be like Spencer. Like brother like sister.   
"Oh, really? I'm into Twilight, The Hunger Games, and Science Fiction." Del nods at Garcia.   
When they arrive at the mall, they make their way to an office supplies store.   
Del looks around, eyeing everyone in the store very carefully. She gets some college ruled paper, grid paper, a pack of pencils, and a plain white binder. She looks over to see Garcia, Prentiss, and JJ looking in the electronic section.   
Del goes up to the counter, avoiding making eye contact with the cashier.   
Not wanting to bother the three agents awing over a Vera Bradley computer case, she leaves the store, and goes to the bookstore.   
She looks around, uncomfortable with everyone around her. She had barely had any contact with anyone other than her parents, and their drinking buddies.   
Del makes her way over to the Forensic Science sections, and picks up a book, prepping someone for Forensic Sciences exams. There are medium length passages, with a question section after it.   
She starts flipping through it, skimming over the lines, unaware of a person calling her name.   
"Del!?" She snaps out of her world of reading, and looks over to see a concerned Garcia, with Prentiss, and JJ close behind.  
Del closed the book, and put it back. She made her way over to Garcia, and starts to say, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have wandered off."   
Del, by this point is shaking, and anticipating a couple of punches, at the least.   
"It's fine, it's just, you didn't tell us where you were. Reid would have probably killed us if we lost you." Del's eyes visibly widens, and JJ interjects, "No, Reid would probably just be really upset. Don't worry; he's harmless." Del nods hesitantly.   
"Okay, so where do you girls want to eat?" Del shrugs, but Prentiss says, "Why don't we go to that sushi place we saw when we saw near the front?" All nod, and make their way over to the restaurant.   
They all sit down, with JJ sitting with Del, and Garcia and Prentiss sitting next to each other.   
Del eyes the menu, and one thing catches her attention; Prices.   
"I'm not really hungry." JJ looks up. "Come on, you have to be a little hungry." Del shakes her head.   
"The prices are too high." Garcia frowns. "Don't worry about the prices."   
Del wasn't used to this luxury- to get things without even working for them. She would normally be treated like a slave; one meal consisting of burnt bread, and expired, chunky milk. A lot of the time, she would go days without eating.   
The waiter came to take their order, and Del settled for the cheapest thing on the menu-a small side of rice.  
"So, do you have any idea of your school schedule?" Garcia asked. Del shook her head.   
"Not at all. I assume I'll get it tomorrow." Garcia smiled. "You have to tell me about the people in your classes; jocks, nerds, geeks, emo, cheerleaders- that sort of thing. Oh! You have to tell me about the seniors! Maybe one will catch your eye!" Garcia cooed over the possibilities.   
Prentiss interrupted, "Oh, no. Stay clear from seniors! They probably make all freshmen do their homework. Especially popular senior girls. They're always looking for trouble." Del sighed.   
"Don't stress about it. Just stick to your school work, and everything will turn out fine. Don't get caught up in the High School drama." Del took note of JJ's advice.  
The food soon comes. Del eyes her food carefully, and swallows it fast, careful not to let it's taste make contact with her tongue. When she finishes, she excuses herself, and goes to the bathroom.  
She entered a stall, and puts a finger in the back of her throat, coaxing the eaten rice out of her mouth. Once she wipes her mouth, careful not to leave any evidence of her throwing up, she flushes, and washes her hands, cleaning her mouth by swishing some water in her mouth, and then swallows.   
She sits back down at the table, and gets her brother's card out.   
"No, it's on me." Del stares at Garcia, surprised at her request. Del puts the card back in her pocket.   
Once they finish paying, everyone gives their thanks to Garcia. They leave the restaurant, and make their way to the clothes store.   
Del had never seen so many fabrics in her life.   
Del makes her way to the 'men' section, and goes through various t-shirts with 'Star Wars,' 'Batman,' 'Iron Man,' and 'The Hulk' on them.   
She picks out a few of the t-shirts, making sure to get bigger sizes than she needs.   
Garcia sees Del, and walks over to her, "What are you doing in this section, sugarplum? And why did you pick out the large shirts?" Del ponders for a moment.   
"These shirts have durable fabric, unlike the clothes in the 'women' section. They have to be durable, if you don't want them to rip. As for the sizes; I need to get larger sizes, so when I grow more, I can still keep the shirts, keeping myself from buying more shirts in the future." Garcia pouts.  
"Okay, you can keep the shirts, but you are buying jeans your size." Del nods reluctantly.   
Del makes her way to the size 'one' section, and rifles through the jeans. She pouts, unable to find the same fabric quality like the t-shirts.  
Finally finding a pair of jeans that half way met her expectations, she went up to the cash register, and paid for her items.   
Del went to find Garcia, and saw her with a book in her hands.   
Garcia smiled, and handed over the exact same book Del had been looking at in the book store.   
"Garcia, you didn't have to get me this!" Garcia smiled wider, enjoying Del's reaction. JJ and Prentiss came up, with bags of their own clothes.   
"Where to next?" Garcia answered, "Shoes!"  
The four girls made their way over to the shoe store.   
When they entered, Prentiss and JJ went to get some more work shoes, Garcia went to get some high heels, and Del made her way to the combat boots section.   
Del looked at a pair of khaki colored combat boots, searching for her size. When she finds the right size, she goes up to the cash register, and pays for it.   
Del meets Garcia, Prentiss, and JJ at the front of the store.   
"So, what'd you get?" Garcia asks, interested into what Del likes, fashion-wise. When she pulls out the combat boots, everyone quickly knows that she's a 'tomboy.'   
"So, it's," Garcia looks down at her watch, "4:30pm right now. I think we should head back to the Bureau. Reid should be done already, so he can take you back to his place, so you guys can get ready for dinner with the team. We made reservations at some fancy Italian restaurant." They all nod, and go back to the car, but a group of obvious 'wannabe thugs' block their path.   
"Hey, girls. Such a fine day to come across some fine looking ladies." The apparent 'ring-leader' says, winking at Del.   
"Look, just get out of our way." Del orders, mustering the small amount of courage that couldn't even intimidate. The stranger throws on a cocky grin, and puts his arm around Del, says,"Ooh. A woman with an attitude. Papa likes," he looks over to his 'crew' and gestures over to Prentiss, Garcia, and JJ.   
Del froze, but soon came out of her trance, when the man that could easily pass as a twenty five year old put his hand on Del's waist, but a little lower, causing Del to jump away.   
"Don't touch me." Before he can react, she throws a punch across his face, making him to groan out in pain. He starts to get up, "Oh, you're going to pay for that, b****." He makes a fist, and throws a punch, only to be kicked where the sun doesn't shine. He yelps out, and staggers onto the ground.   
"Come on, boys. These b****are crazy." He gets up, and runs away, with his 'crew' following behind him.   
"Wow, Del, are you okay?" JJ asked, concerned laced in her voice. "Yes, just a little surprised."  
They wordlessly pile into the car, and make their way to the Bureau. When they all arrive, it's 5:15.  
They walk in, and make their way to the conference room. Reid was presenting some new details about the case at hand.   
"...the symbols was made with a knife, manufactured by a company, famous for their medieval props." When Reid finished his presentation, Hotch dismissed the team.   
"gar bralir mayen?" Hotch asked, receiving confused glances. "mar'eyce kute." Del answered.  
Garcia smiled, and said, "Our boy genius' sister doesn't only have an IQ that could compete with her brother's, but also an awesome, and an effective I might add, punch and kick!" Prentiss, JJ, Garcia, and even Del, laughed.   
Morgan knitted his eyes together, and asked, "What happened?" Garcia told the entire team about the thugs, Del knocking him senseless, and them running away like lost puppies.   
"I'm glad you defended yourself. And if that happens again, with some senior, you don't hesitate from calling me. Reid, Hotch, Rossi, and I will make sure that guy can't use his arms for at least... a year." Del smiles.   
"Thanks." Spencer looks over at Del, "We better head back to the apartment. You can put away everything, and get ready for dinner." Del nods, and grabbed her bags, said bye to the team, and followed Spencer to Garcia's car.   
Garcia came behind them, and started the car, with Spencer in the front, and Del in the back. Once Garcia dropped them off, they both went up to his apartment.   
"You can put your stuff away, and get ready for dinner," Spencer looks at his watch,"It's 6:00 right now. JJ is supposed to pick us up in about an hour." Del nods.  
Spencer grabs some of her bags, and brings it to her room. "Thank you, Spencer, and- oh, wait!" Del digs her hand into her pocket, and holds his credit card, "Here," Del said, handing him the card, "Thank you for letting me use it." Spencer smiles, and take it.   
"Don't worry. I'm glad you had a fun time today." With that, he walks away.   
Del smiles, and empties all of her bags on her bed, folds everything, and sorts through everything. She gets her old clothes out of her messenger bag, and folds them with her new ones. She put them away in the dresser, and puts the boots next to it. She then gets her school supplies out, and puts all of the paper in the binder. She puts the pack of pencils along with the binder on the side table.   
Then, she goes to take a shower, and put on her new jeans, with a black and gold, layered tank top-looking shirt. She put on her combat boots, and made her way to the bathroom to dry, and brush her hair, and brush her teeth.   
She gathered her savings, composition book, binder and pencils, Forensic book, Silhouette (the Book from Spencer's collection), and her jacket. She checks the clock. 6:50.   
She makes her way to the living room, and gets the forensic book out. She opens it, and starts to read it, until Spencer comes out.   
"JJ's here." They both leave, and go into JJ's black SUV.   
The drive to the restaurant is silent. When they arrive, the team is already there. When they all get seated, the waiter comes and takes the orders for drinks.   
"All waters, except three Chianti red wines." Hotch orders. While Del studies the menu, to find that this place is even more expensive than the sushi place, she looks at the side menu.   
"Del, when you were out shopping, I stopped by your school, and got your class schedule, locker combination, and locker number." Spencer fishes for the piece of paper in his pocket. He pulls it out, and hands it to Del.   
Here is what it said:  
Delaney Alexanderia Reid-   
Freshmen- thirteen years old (13)  
AP HISTORY- 8:10-9:30  
AP ENGLISH- 9:40-11:00  
AP CALCULUS- 11:10-12:30  
LUNCH- 12:30-1:20  
SCIENCE- 1:30-2:50  
AP LATIN- 3:00-4:20  
Locker Number- 211  
Locker Combo.- 14-54-13  
Spencer said, "You have someone by the name of senior buddy show you and help you around this year. The office said you'll meet him or her tomorrow, when you go to the office. School starts at 8:10, but you can be there as early as 7:00." Del nods. "You'll also be taking two college courses at our community college, so when you go to whatever college you want to go to, you can take whatever you like, and not have to deal with the mandatory classes, since you would have already taken them at your time in High School."  
Del nods, and let's Garcia look at her schedule.   
"Wow! You have all AP classes and two college courses! Looks like you'll be growing up just like Reid! What do you want to major in college?" Garcia asked.  
"I will major in Forensic Sciences, and hopefully become a Forensic Anthropologist and Pathologist." Everyone at the table nodded.   
Everyone ordered Chicken Parmesan, and Del ordered a side salad.   
"Del, are you on some sort of diet? You've eaten a small portion of rice, and you only ordered a small salad." Del licked her lips, unsure of what to say.   
"No, not at all. I, um- I haven't been hungry. I think I just need to adjust to every one's eating time." Everyone nodded, not wanting to pry.   
When dinner came, Del ate half of it, before excusing herself. She does the same thing at lunch; throws up her dinner.   
When everyone finishes, JJ takes the Reids back to Spencer's apartment.   
They both thank JJ, and make their way up to the apartment.   
"Um, well, goodnight, Del." Del nods.  
"Goodnight, Spencer."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a Conversation Between Hotch and Del:  
> Hotch: How are you? Did you have a good day at school?  
> Del: Fine.

Del wakes up with a start, sweat dripping of her forehead.   
A sadistic smile spreads across his face, stroking my cheek in a loving manner, lust clouds his eyes, making his intense gaze unbearable.   
"Your mom won't be back for hours." He is only wearing his night pants, whilst I am wearing an over sized shirt, only wearing my underwear. A whimper escapes from my mouth, and his smile turns into a smirk, but fades away.  
"Undress, now." I bite my lip, but comply.   
He licks his lips, and stares openly, gazing at my unformed body.   
He soon, too, undresses.   
That's we're it stops.   
Del checks the clock. 5:30am.   
Spencer will wake up soon.   
Del decides to get up, figuring she'll have no luck sleeping.   
She goes into the bathroom, and showers.   
When she is done, she dresses in a over sized t-shirt, with 'Iron Man' on the front of it. She puts on her skinny jeans, and her khaki combat boots. She then brushes her teeth and hair, leaving her hair down.   
She grabs her messenger bag, and checks the clock; 6:15.   
She heads into the living room, and the sweet aroma of coffee fills the room.   
She looks over to the kitchen, and see Spencer, already dressed, making pancakes. He looks up, and smiles.   
"Good morning, Del. I left your school schedule on the dining room table." Del nodded, and walked over to the dining room table, and picked up the piece of paper.   
Spencer set down the pancakes on the table, and scrutinized Del for a moment. Spencer sighed, and put a pancake on his plate.   
"I heard you last night." Del was surprised to hear that, and whipped her head to face him. Spencer continued, "I know you don't want to talk about it, but I would like you to consider going to see a councilor. It would help you to unravel."   
Del shook her head, "No, I don't need to have some therapist tell me something is wrong with me, especially someone I do not know." Spencer nodded, understanding somewhat.   
Breakfast was a small affair, sometimes they exchanged glances, rarely making eye contact. When finished, Spencer moved to clean up.   
"Del, since you're already ready, we can go now. Just let me get my things."   
Spencer left for a minute, and then came back.   
"Morgan's driving us." Del followed Spencer down the stairs, and then to Morgan's car, sitting where they did yesterday.   
Morgan smiled, and said, "Hey, Del! You ready for the big life as a high school-er?" Del shrugged.   
"I guess." Morgan just laughed. "I guarantee everyone will like you... Wait, don't you have all AP classes?" Del nodded.   
Morgan's smile broadened, and patted Spencer's shoulder, "Wow, man, she'll be in there with seniors."   
The rest of the ride was silent, until they pulled up to the school. Spencer turned around, and said, "You should probably go to the office first, and get all of your papers, and textbooks. It's," Spencer checks the clock, "only 8:00 right now, so you'll have enough time. Good luck, and call me if you need anything." Del nodded, and mumbled a quick, "Thanks."   
Del grabbed onto her bag, and exited the car.   
Welcome to High School, Del.   
\--l/b--  
No One's POV  
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Spencer asked as he and Morgan walked into the Bureau. Morgan just laughed.  
"Look who's becoming the brotherly-type!" Morgan pat Spencer's shoulder and walked into the office room, where the rest of the team was waiting.   
Hotch was standing in the front, with JJ giving the over-view.   
"We have tried contacting the victim's parents, but they have seemed to have disappeared off of the face of the earth."   
They nodded, and were dismissed after the briefing. Garcia grinned wildly, and walked up to Spencer.   
"Spencer! Was Del excited to go to High School?" Spencer turned, facing Garcia.   
"She seemed okay, if that is what you are asking." Garcia nodded, still grinning. "Well, big brother genius, I hope you're ready for all of this teenage drama."   
Spencer nodded,"I don't think Del will be involved in the High School feudalism. Del seems a little restrained from the idea of High School." Garcia nodded, not believing it for a second.  
\--l/b--  
No One's POV  
Del walked into the office, at 8:05, going up to the office, to see a small plump brunette woman shifting through files.   
"H-Hi, my name is Del Reid... I'm a new student." The woman smiled.   
"Why, hello, Del! You are absolutely going to love Middleton High!" the woman shifted through a drawer, and pulled out a folder, "This folder contains all information about extracurricular activities, clubs, sports, and senior buddies." Del raised her brow.   
"What is a senior buddy?" The woman nodded. "A senior buddy is a senior that shows you around the school, and helps you get settled in. The school started to defuse the tension between freshmen and seniors. Although, I believe, since you are new, and we have had a massive load of freshmen this year, I think we are out of seniors... Ah, yes! I remember, your senior buddy is Jared Robinson. He is not a senior, but is an extra pair of hands that helps around the school, and substitutes. He a college student, but since he had attended here for High School, he came back, and this is his side job." The woman gave Del all of her books.  
Del nodded, and remembered her schedule. She pulled it out, and asked, "Where is the AP History room?" The woman smiled, and stood, "Follow me."  
Del complied, and passed by a large mass of lockers. Stopping by the door on the right, the secretary opened it, and smiled at the students in their desks.   
"Hello, Mr. White, you have a new student," the man in glasses, and motioned Del to step forward, "Introduce yourself, please."   
Del looked around nervously, "I-I'm Del." Mr. White nodded, and the secretary left.  
"It's nice to have you here, Del. Please take a seat next to Alex," motioning to a seat next to a ginger-haired, freckle faced boy, "and then you can either take or not take the pop quiz. I understand you have skipped a few grades, and I completely understand if you do not want to." A few of the obvious popular girls scoffed, and whispered to one another.   
"I-I-I think I'll try it." The teacher nodded, and Del moved to sit down.   
"Okay, class, pop quiz! Everyone get a pen out and have their desk cleared!" Everyone groaned, but slowly complied.   
Mr. White handed out the quizzes, while Del searched her surroundings. Alex was on her left, and a girl with blond, long hair, wearing a mini skirt and a tank top sat there, chewing on gum.   
When Mr. White handed out the quiz, Del was amazed at how easy it was. When she was done, she turned it in, and sat back down.   
Mr. White stood, and announced, "We will have a competition today. I am going to pair you up in a group of two. Since there is only fourteen of you in my class, there is going to be seven groups. Understood?" Everyone groaned, but stopped after the glare from Mr. White.   
"Okay... I want Josh with Avery," Two jock-looking guys walked up to the front of the class, "Maggie with Nina, Anne with Siri, Caroline with Michael, Caleb with Ana, Alex with Del, and Cole with Riley." The pairs stalked up to the front of the class room. The teacher proceeded to the back of the room.  
"Which ever pair raises their hand, and has the correct answer will get a point, if not then a point will be deducted, even if you have zero. I must stress the point that everyone participates." Everyone begrudgingly nodded.   
"Okay, first question. What civilization is considered the 'Mother of Civilization'?" Del shook with fear, but she did know the answer. She raised her hand slowly. The teacher nodded at her.   
"The Olmec are considered the 'Mother of Civilization,' although, the Mesoamerican people are still considered the 'Mother of Civilization,' and the Olmec were the first to settle." The teacher nodded, approvingly.   
"A point to Del and Alex's group."   
The game continued, with only a few other groups answering the questions.   
The class ended, and Del went to her next class, careful not to bump into anyone.   
She entered the ELA classroom, meeting her teacher, Mrs. Wesley.  
After ELA, she went to math.   
When she entered, she met Mr. Harris.   
"Hello, please introduce yourself to the class." Del, still shaking, introduced herself.   
"M-my name i-is Del." The class snickered.   
Mr. Harris gestured her to sit down.  
The teacher said, "Please, someone, come up and write on the chalkboard, the equation for photosynthesis."  
A jock yelled out, "Let's let new girl do it. She's only like thirteen years old. She must be some sort of child prodigy."   
The teacher said, "Nathaniel Brown!" the teacher reprimanded, but turned his gaze to Del, "You can if you want to." Del nodded, and stood up shakily. She made her way to the board, and wrote the equation in her neat handwriting.   
She wrote, and said aloud, "6CO2 + 12H2O + light → C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O" The teacher smiled.  
"Excellent, Ms. Reid, fantastic!" Del nodded, still shaking.   
The next of the class was basically making sure they remembered all formulas.  
They were let out, and Del figured she better spend this time completing homework, and getting to know where locker is.   
She wandered the halls, looking for her locker.   
When she found it, she made sure to remember the combination.   
When she was done, she wandered around for the library. Someone tapped her on the shoulder, making her whip around.   
She saw a man about 6'4, Spencer's height, stand in front of her. He had a button up, dark navy blue shirt on, with dark blue jeans. He had chestnut eyes, with brown hair.   
"Hey, you must be Delaney. I'm Jared. I'm your buddy for the school year." Del nodded, shaking.  
"Call me Del." Jared nodded.   
"If you're looking for the cafeteria, it's the other way." Del shook her head.  
"No, I actually-." Jared cut her off.   
"C'mon. I'll introduce you to some of my friends." Del reluctantly nodded. She followed Jared,and entered a big room, with six table; jocks and cheerleaders, geeks, nerds, computer geniuses, goths, and college students.  
Two guys came up to Del.  
"Hey, I'm Nate, and this is Derek." A blond man pointed to a dirty blond.   
"Del."   
A girl walked up to Jared, pulling him into a deep kiss. She had blond hair and crystal blue eyes. She had a too-short black skirt, a pink almost see through shirt, and black heels.   
"Who's the girl?" She broke the kiss, and put her arm on Jared's shoulder protectively.   
"I'm her 'senior buddy.' Her name's Del." Del kept her eyes locked on the floor, but managed to wave slightly.   
"Whatever. C'mon, babe, sit with me." She pulled him towards her table, leaving Del standing awkwardly in the middle of the cafeteria.   
Del started to leave, but was stopped by a girl that looked she was a sophomore.   
"Hey, where you going? Wanna sit with me?" Del nodded, and sat down at the table the girl specified.   
"What's your name? I'm Kassie with a K." Del responded, "Del."   
Nobody was at the table Del was sitting. A few awkward minutes later, Kassie broke the silence.   
"You're new. What's your next class?" Del took her schedule out, handing it to Kassie.   
"I go to AP Science." With that response, Kassie smiled. "Me too! You can sit by me!"   
Once lunch was over, they made their way to Science. When they arrived a petite woman was in the middle of a lesson.   
"Ah, Ms. Kassie, I see that you have already managed to make a new student late for class." The teacher turned to Del.   
"What's your name, dear?" Del shook. "I-I'm D-Del."   
The same jock that called out in math, Nathaniel Brown, spoke out, "What are you? A Chihuahua?" The entire class except Kassie and the teacher laughed.   
"Students! You are being very disrespectful. Nathaniel Brown, detention after school!" Nathaniel grimaced.   
"I thought I told you to call me Nate, not Nathaniel!" The teacher was furious.   
"Nathaniel, you have a week of detention," she then directed her attention on Del and Kassie, "Go sit down; the both of you."  
Del and Kassie were quick to sit down.   
"Today, we are going to go over the different types of vertebrates and invertebrates. Do we have any volunteer?" Nobody raised their hand. "Del? Would you be kind enough to answer?" Del nodded, grimly. She was already a freak, but she knew she had to give this teacher the correct answer.   
"There are five vertebrates; Mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and birds. As for invertebrates; Segmented worms, echinoderms, sponges, arthropods, and mollusks." The teacher smiled.   
The rest of class was uneventful. Kassie and Del made their way to Latin. When they got there, the teacher has a translating assignment on the board.   
"Translate this by the end of the day, or it becomes homework, along with the two other translating assignments you have to do for homework. If you finish early, you may start your homework. And if you finish everything, which is highly unlikely, hand them in, and then you may go to the library for the remainder of the day. Is that clear?"   
Everyone nodded, and started their work. Del began to translate, finding it incredibly easy. She finished all three assignments, with ten minutes to spare. She decided to turn them in, even if she would be even more of a freak. When she turned them in, the teacher eyed her cautiously.   
"Are you done?" Del nodded.   
Del decided to go to where Spencer and Morgan had dropped her off, and wait for Spencer to pick her up. Fifteen minutes later, Spencer pulled up, in his own car. Del got in the passenger seat, and eyed Spencer cautiously when they drove off.   
"How was school?" Del mumbled, "Fine."   
Spencer sighed. "We're going to the Bureau for a while. I assume you have homework?" Del shook her head. "I already finished it." Spencer nodded.   
"So, I was thinking you and I could go to the bookstore later. I have noticed that you liked to read." Del nodded.   
"I-Is, um, there any news w-with the case you're working on?" Spencer nodded.   
"Yes, but I don't think it's such a good idea to share that information with you." Del nodded, a little mad at Spencer.  
When they arrived at the Bureau, Garcia, Emily, and JJ rushed over to Del.   
"So!? How was High School?" Garcia asked. Del smiled slightly. "It was fine." Garcia frowned.  
"C'mon cupcake, tell us everything! Were there any cute boys? Oh, what about cute teachers?" Spencer's head snapped up at that comment.   
"What? Cute teachers?" Del shook her head. "No, I only have two male teachers. One is bald, and looks about fifty, and the other is roughly in his forties."   
Spencer softened slightly.   
Hotch entered, and focused his attention on Del.   
"mandokarla? ganar a jate tuur at bajur?" Del smiled. "naas." Hotch nodded, and turned to his team.  
"Let's meet in the conference room. We have a new case. Del, you are welcome to come as well, that is, if Reid- I mean Spencer let's you. You have a high intelligence for your age." Del turned her head to Spencer.   
Spencer nodded, but knew that he should talk to Hotch about Del, and what she is limited to.   
When everyone entered, JJ began the over-view. "A male, roughly around thirty, has been suspected of sexually abusing young girls around the age of thirteen to sixteen. His name is Noah Gray, and we have a sketch of what the unsub might look like." A picture of a man with dark brown, almost black hair and dark brown eyes appeared.   
"The unsub is about 6'5, and was last spotted at Honeycombs Cafe, about two miles from the Bureau." JJ handed out the the rest of the information to everyone, including Del.   
A few hours later, Spencer and Del left.   
"We're going to the book store." Del nodded.   
When they arrived, Del instantly made her way over to the forensic area. She had remembered everything on the new case. She looked through the different books that could help the case. Finally, she found a book that was similar to the case.   
Someone behind her said, "Excuse me." She leaned down to get the same book she did. She turned to look at the stranger, only to see the same man that she saw in the picture. Before she could say anything, he turned and left.   
Del was too shocked to say anything. She began to shake, but froze once she heard Spencer calling her name.   
"Del? Are you ready to go?" Del nodded, and made her way up to the register. Once Spencer payed, they made their way over to Spencer's car, not knowing that they had a pair of eyes on them.   
When they got back to the apartment, Del went to her room, and drew. She drew a picture of the same man she saw at the book store; the accused pedophile.   
She started to read the forensic book she got at the book store.   
"Del? Dinner is ready." Del made her way to the dining room, and sat down at the table.   
"I-I'm not really hungry." Spencer frowned. "Did you eat lunch at school today?" Del nodded.   
"Alright. You're excused tonight, but please try to get used to our meal times... I know it's different."   
After a few minutes, Del mustered up enough courage to ask, "When did you leave?" Spencer was taken aback, but answered.   
"I left when I was eighteen." Del was silent for the rest of the night.   
She left to her room, and went to sleep.   
"Come here!" She entered the living room.   
She was roughly taken by her father to his bedroom.   
"Please, please, please, don't do this." A smirk appeared on his features.   
He started to undress her and-  
That's when she woke up screaming. Spencer came rushing in the room, and held onto his sister tightly.   
"Shh, It's fine, It's okay." Del sobbed into Spencer's shirt. "It'll never be okay."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oooooohhh, Spencer found out more about Del's past! Also, I haven't had a single cliffhanger yet, and I figured this would be a good place to stop. I normally like to fit an entire day in a chapter, but I had to cut this one short. :) Anyway, drama will continue with this Noah character... And what about his brother, Elliot? :D I also feel like I haven't explained Del's anorexia or bulimia. I know I have updated a little faster, but I can't guarantee It'll always be this fast.   
> Mando'a Conversation:   
> Hotch: Were you helpful?  
> Del: I think I was.

-NO ONE'S POV-  
　  
That's when she woke up screaming. Spencer came rushing in the room, and held onto his sister tightly.   
"Shh, It's fine, It's okay." Del sobbed into Spencer's shirt. "It'll never be okay."  
Del told Spencer everything. "He-he started t-to sexually a-abuse me. I-I t-tried to get a-a-away a few times, but he always caught me!" Del lost all control, and sobbed.   
Once Spencer calmed Del a bit, he checked the time. 5:15am. "He isn't going to hurt you ever again." Del nodded.   
"Why don't you get ready for school?" Del nodded, and made her way to the bathroom. Once Spencer heard the water going, he put his head in his heads, and sighed.   
He finally stood, and started to get ready himself.   
Del and Spencer were ready about the same time, but Spencer insisted on making breakfast.   
"I'm not the best cook, but I'll make you some eggs. Do you like the yoke, or just the egg whites?" Del decided she couldn't deny any food, or it would raise suspicion.   
"Egg whites, please." When Spencer finished the eggs, Del ate it quickly, and excused herself. She went to the bathroom, and went through the same process she always went through when she had to eat.   
When she exited, Spencer was in front of her. "Let me grab my stuff, and I'll be ready."   
A few minutes later, Spencer and Del were on their way to her school. When they got there, Del gathered her things, and left.   
-At the Bureau-  
Spencer arrived at the Bureau, and made his way over to Morgan. "Hey, Reid. Already dropped Del off?" Spencer answered, "Yes, but she just specified on the type of abuse she received from her father. I hadn't realized she had gone through that, and now that I know, I'm at a total lost."   
Morgan stiffened. "She was sexually abused?" Spencer nodded. "I'm sorry, Spencer. I didn't know she was put through that. Shouldn't you get her to a therapist?" Spencer nodded.   
"Yes, I should, but I just gained her trust. I can't just expect her to confide everything into a stranger that she has never met. I think I am just going to make sure she knows she can talk to me about anything." Morgan nodded.   
-School-   
History ended quickly, but Del never shook the feeling of being watched.   
Del made a quick trip to her locker, only to bump into Nathan (Nathaniel Brown). She dropped all of her books, and he laughed.   
"Watch where you're walking, nerd." He walked off, and a group of girls walked over. The same girl that Del saw with Jared laughed, and put her right foot on Del's books, with Del still on her knees.  
"Listen, roadkill, I don't know who or what," the group snickered, "you think you are, but you better stay in line. You're just a little nobody-freshmen that will only be good for doing homework," She smirked, "In fact, I haven't completed my calculus homework," she dropped a textbook and some paper, "This better be done by third period."   
She lifted her heel, and began to leave, until Del mumbled, "B****."   
She stopped him her tracks, and turned around. At this point, everyone stared.  
"What'd you just say to me?" Del stood, having some confidence.   
"I called you a b****. Do you need a Q-tip?" Del was sick of everyone telling her what to do. She was tired of everyone looking down on her, as if she didn't exist.   
The blond gasped, and slapped Del across her face. It felt like a feather, compared to Del's father's slaps.   
"Did you break a nail?" Del punched her square in the nose, just to be reprimanded by a teacher.   
"Both of you; to the office, now!" Del and the blond went to the office, and entered the Principal's office.  
"Ms. Del and Ms. Sara, I expect better from both of you. What exactly happened?" Sara didn't hesitate.  
"She punched me in the nose! It could be broken!" The principal threw Del a disappointed look.   
"Is this true?" Del shook her head. "No! She slapped me first! Ask anyone, she started it; not me!" The principal frowned.   
"We did, Ms. Reid, and all of them say you punched Sara first. I'm sorry, but you are suspended for the rest of the day, and tomorrow. I'll have someone send over the homework. We are going to call your brother to pick you up. Sara, you are free to go to the nurses office." Sara stood, and smirked at Del. She whispered in her ear, "Paybacks a b****."   
Del was told to wait in the hall for Spencer. She leaned against the wall, and slid down to the floor.   
About thirty minutes later, Spencer entered the school, and frowned at Del.   
"Come on." Was all he said.   
They both climbed in his car. After a few minutes on the road, he broke the silence.  
"What happened, Del? Why did I get a call from the school, asking me to pick you up because of a fight?" Spencer remained calm, but kept his voice stern.   
"Well, a girl named Sara bullied me in the hall, and then she slapped me. And then-and then I punched her. I know it wasn't right, but you should have been there." Spencer's voice softened, but kept it at a tone in which Del would understand he wasn't playing around.   
"You are grounded for a month." Del nodded. "Does that sound fair?"  
Del said, "Yes." Spencer sighed, but kept his gaze locked on the road.   
"I don't want to be the bad guy, but..." Del nodded, "I know. Don't worry." Spencer sighed, which seemed like the millionth time.   
"We are going to the Bureau, so you can do any homework or something until we can go home. Since it's only 10:45, so we'll be there for a while."  
Del nodded, and stayed silent for the rest of the ride.   
When they arrived, Spencer pulled an extra chair up to his desk.  
"You can sit here, and do what you like. My team and I might have to go out and interview some people, but I don't know what you could do." Del brightened a bit.   
"Could I come with you?" Spencer frowned. "No, It's too dangerous for you." Del sighed.   
"Please? If anything were to go wrong, I would be able to defend myself." Spencer shook his head. "No, Del. The field is no place for a thirteen year old." Del frowned, but didn't pursue the topic any longer.   
After a few hours, and explaining to everyone why she had gotten suspended, Spencer and his team left to interview some of Noah Gray's relatives.   
"The doors are locked; don't let anyone in. There's a phone on my desk if you need something. I wrote down all of our numbers." At that final remark, Spencer left with the rest of the team.   
Del kept Spencer's desk light on, and continued to read the book she bought the other day with Spencer. Once she had gotten to page 135, she decided to get some water. She walked in the conference room, but couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. She shivered at the sudden coolness of the air temperature. She still had the same jacket, jeans, shoes, and shirt that she had the other day.   
Once she finished, she decided to study for the math unit test. When she arrived back at Spencer's desk, she still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. She looked around, but saw no one.   
A few hours later, Spencer and the team arrived, and Del had been doing some homework.  
"Hey, Cupcake, what have you been doing?" Del looked up to Garcia, and put on a slight smile. "Just homework."   
Spencer walked up to Del when Garcia walked away. "Hey, Del. I still have to do some things here, and then my team and I will have to go back out to interview another person. It looks like it'll be pretty late when we go back to the apartment. Although, I have gotten in touch with the school. They say you can return to school tomorrow, but you'll have to serve an hour of detention for the rest of the week. You're lucky."   
-Interview with unsub's relative-  
Morgan, Spencer, and JJ were standing outside of the unsub's mother's house.   
Morgan knocked, and then with no answer, knocked again.   
"I'm coming! Hold your horses!" A petite woman with curled dark brown hair opened the door. Morgan, Spencer, and JJ showed her their badges.   
Morgan said, "Hello, ma'am, we are here to see if you could tell us anything about this man," Morgan pulled out the sketch of Noah Gray. The woman pulled her hand up to he mouth, and gasped.   
"What happened to my Noah? Is everything alright?" Morgan responded.   
"Could we please come in and talk about this privately?" The woman nodded, and opened the door more. She gestured for the three of them to sit on the couch, and she sat on the chair.  
"We suspect that your son has been abusing young girls around the age of thirteen to fifteen years old, sexually. Have you heard from your son?" The woman's eyes glazed, and her lips trembled.   
"I-I haven't seen him in over two years... The last time I saw him, we-we had a fight." The woman started to shed tears, and JJ took over.   
"Ms. Gray, could you please tell us what the fight was about?" The woman gained her composure once more, and spoke.   
"He was still living with me. I-I kept on telling him that he needs to find a place for himself, but he refused... I kicked him out, and haven't heard from him since." The woman started to cry again, but JJ stepped in, and calmed her down. She gave her a card with her contact information on it, and said, "If your son comes to you, or you see him, please call us."   
The three of them exited, and got back in the car.   
"What do you think? The unsub must have some place. We already checked in the database, and couldn't find anything." Spencer piped in, "Maybe he is staying with a friend, relative, or girlfriend." JJ nodded.   
"Okay, I think I'll stay at the station, and you and Morgan can go and see the rest of his friends and family." Spencer nodded, and quickly interjected, "I need to check up on Del, and then we can go. We've been out for hours." Morgan nodded.   
-Back at the Bureau-  
"Please, Spencer? I'll do almost anything to come with you!" Del begged Spencer to take her to one of the interviews.   
Spencer huffed. "No, Del! How many times do I have to tell you? I am not going to allow you to go. It is too dangerous."  
Garcia frowned, and walked up to Spencer.  
"Spencer, let your sister go with you! She can't be sheltered for it for long." Spencer huffed. He knew she was right. He was just worried about this case, and what effect it might have Del.   
"You're going to stay by my side at all times." Del nodded and smiled, sending Garcia a thankful look. Garcia nodded, and mouthed, "Be careful." Del nodded, and hugged Spencer.   
Spencer was taken aback, but returned the hug. He pulled away, and said, "Get your stuff. We're taking my car." Del nodded, and walked away.   
Spencer walked up to Morgan and announced, "Del's coming with us. We're taking my car." Morgan frowned.  
"What? The unsub is a pedophile preying on girls in her age range! What if he sees her?" Spencer sighed.   
"I know, but it is very unlikely. I'll be careful. She'll be careful. If she sees him, and knows he is looking for her, she'll tell me."   
The three of them boarded Spencer's car; Spencer driving, Morgan in the passenger seat, and Del in the back.   
On the way there, Morgan sparked a conversation.   
"Del, we're going to see the unsub's father." Del looked up at Morgan.   
"Okay, but shouldn't we be interviewing his friends? He most likely confides things to them; not his family." Morgan smiled.   
"You're smart, kid. We're going to interview his father, and two of his friends."  
The rest of the ride was silent.   
They pulled into a small house, that looked like it was around during the Civil War.   
Spencer knocked on the door, and a man that had brown eyes, and light grey hair answered the door.   
"How can I help you?" He asked.   
Morgan responded, showing him his badge, "We're here to talk about your son." The man sighed.   
"Come on in." He opened the door more, and gestured for them to sit down on the couch.   
"So, what's this about?" He asked. "We believe your son has been abusing young girls around the age of thirteen to fifteen. Have you seen or heard from him lately?" The man looked confused.   
"Now which son are we talkin' about?" He had a southern accent. Morgan handed him the sketch, but the man just sighed.   
"What's his name?" Spencer was confused. "Noah Gray." The man nodded.   
"I see. Noah has a twin brother." That was a red alarm in Spencer's mind. "The last time I saw Noah was when he asked me for money 'bout two years ago. He said he had a fight with his mother." Spencer nodded.  
"Thank you, sir. Please call us if you see or hear from him." Spencer handed him his card.  
The three of them got in the car, and started to drive.  
"Doesn't it seem odd that the mother didn't mention a brother?" Spencer agreed with Morgan, and announced, "That's why I'm driving over to her house now.   
The three of them arrived at the house, and knocked on the door again. The same woman answered.  
"Yes?" She seemed agitated, but she let the three of them anyway. "Who's she?" The woman gestured to Del, and Del suddenly became self-conscious  
"She is our intern." The woman nodded.   
"We were wondering why you didn't tell us Noah Gray has a twin brother. If there is anything you may have not mentioned, you better tell us right now." The woman started to cry.  
"I know, and I'm sorry. He does have a twin brother named Elliot. He had a sister, but she died when she was only thirteen and died by leukemia. Elliot and Noah were only when twenty this happened." Morgan nodded.   
"Thank you. But is there anything else? Any ex girlfriends of Noah's, or friends you know about?" The woman thought for a moment before answering.   
"No, none that I can think of." Morgan nodded.   
"Thank you."   
The three of them boarded the car once more, and drove to a friend of the unsub's house.   
Morgan, Spencer, and Del walked up to the door, and knocked.   
A curly brown haired man answered the door. "Yeah?" Morgan showed him the badge, and said, "We are here about Noah Gray. Have you heard from him?" The man shook his head. "No, the last time I've seen him is about three months ago." Morgan nodded, and thanked him.   
Morgan received a text from JJ.   
FROM: JJ  
TO: DEREK M.   
the team and i r goin 2 get dinner @ 7 @ same place we went 2 las time  
Morgan said, "The team wants to go to the same place we went last time for dinner at 7:00pm tonight. Do you guys want to?" Spencer nodded, "Yes, we would like to."   
FROM: DEREK M.   
TO: JJ  
count del reid and i in.   
Morgan turned to Del.   
"Do you have a phone? I would like to have your number, and visa verse." Del shook her head.   
"No, I don't." Spencer made a mental note that he needed to get Del a phone.   
Morgan called Garcia.   
"Goddess of all computers at your service." Morgan smiled.   
"Hey, Baby Girl. Can you run Elliot Gray on the database?" Morgan asked.   
"Of course, my beautiful chocolate man." Morgan heard clicks and clacks caused from the computer.  
"Well, he looks exactly like your unsub. He lives on 7450 King Street. He had a sister that died by leukemia, but other than that, he's a model citizen in society. He volunteers at a kids hospital, soup kitchens, cancer programs, etc."  
"Thanks, Baby Girl."   
"Anytime, Baby Boy."   
Morgan smiled, and hung up the phone.  
"Did Garcia find anything on Elliot?" Morgan shook his head. "No, but I have the address to his apartment."   
They drove to 7450 King Street, and went up to the door, and knocked.  
A man, looking exactly like the unsub opened the door.   
Morgan showed him the badge and said, "We were looking to talk to you about your brother, Noah Gray." The man nodded, and opened the door further to let them in.   
The three of them stepped inside, and sat on the couch.   
"Have you seen or heard from your brother lately?" The man nodded. "Yeah, about a week ago, he came and asked for some money. I gave fifty bucks, and then he left." Morgan nodded, grabbing a pen and a small notebook from his pocket.   
"What was he wearing?" The man sighed. "A brown t-shirt,, dark jeans, and a leather jacket." Morgan scribbled the information down, and continued. "Were there any distinct, or out of the ordinary marks? Does he have any birth marks?" The man shook his head. "He actually had a cut on his chin. He does have a birth mark; it's on his back. It's small, and looks like Texas." Morgan nodded.   
"What has Noah done? Is he in trouble?" Morgan met Elliot's gaze. "We suspect that your brother has been abusing young girls around the age of thirteen to fifteen, sexually." Elliot inaudibly gasped.  
"That's terrible! If you need anything else, please just ask." Spencer nodded, and handed him the card. "Here is my card. Call us if you see or hear from him."   
The three of them went back to the car, and drove off.   
"It's a little odd how Elliot was so... supportive? I was expecting some sort of doubt. Their sister was thirteen, so I expected Elliot to have some doubt on whether his brother sexually a-abused young g-girls." Morgan and Spencer did not let the stuttering go unnoticed.  
"You're correct, and I also thought he was a little too supportive." Spencer said.   
The ride back to the Bureau was silent. When they arrived, everyone was in the conference. The three of them went into the room and reported what happened.   
"Our unsub has a twin brother, Elliot Gray. Noah contacted Elliot about a week ago, asking for money." Hotch nodded.   
"k, k' gar gaa'taylir?" Hotch asked, leaving the rest of the team confused. Del responded, "I mirdir I k, k'." Hotch nodded.   
"Any more leads?" Hotch asked. Morgan shook his head. "No, sir." Hotch nodded.   
"Alright." Hotch dismissed the team.   
Spencer walked up to Del, startling her. "I'm sorry for startling you. It's 6:00 right now, and we'll leave after I get my stuff."   
After Spencer walked off, JJ spoke to Del.   
"Hey, what happened at school?" Del sighed. "A girl slapped me, and I-I punched her. She was really mean." JJ nodded. "Well, just make sure not to get involved with all of that drama." Del nodded.   
Spencer came back over when JJ left. They both got in the car, and started to drive away. They arrived at the apartment, and went their separate way.   
Del checked the clock. 6:15.   
Spencer knocked on her door. "Come in." The door opened. "We're leaving in fifteen minutes."  
Del nodded, and went back to find some clothes. She chose her new jeans and her old 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' with Michaelangelo (Mikey), Raphael (Raph), Donatello (Donny), and Leanardo (Leo). She put on her combat boots, and grabbed her messenger bag.   
She made her way to the couch, and began to read the book she got at the Book Store.   
The memory haunted her. Noah Gray, the alleged sexual predator, hovering over her. It sent chills down her back. She wondered if she should tell Spencer. But then again, why would an accused predator be out in the open? He wouldn't believe her.   
Spencer entered the room with a button up brown shirt and jeans. The both of them went to the car, and headed over to the restaurant.   
When they entered, a server led them to where the rest of the team was.   
Del sat in between Spencer and Hotch.   
"What will you be having?" A female waitress asked. Hotch said, "All water, except two Chiantis." The waitress nodded, and walked away.   
"Del?" Del looked over to Spencer. "I got you a phone, since I noticed you did not have one. It's not necessarily new. It was my old phone; I just re-activated it." Spencer handed Del a medium-sized black flip phone. Del grinned, and hugged Spencer, catching him off guard. "Thank you!" Spencer swore that she was the strongest person he knew. "I have programmed the entire teams' phone numbers, including mine." Del smiled even wider.   
The waitress came back with the drinks, and asked what everyone wanted. They ordered all pasta, but Del settled for a carrot plate.  
"Del, you can have some of my pasta." Spencer offered, but Del refused.   
"No, you don't have to. I'm not very hungry." Spencer scoffed.   
"You have only had egg whites today. You are having some of my pasta." Del nodded, not wanting to argue.   
When their food came, Del ate some carrots, and pasta. Once she had a reasonable amount of food, she went to the bathroom and repeated the process.   
She couldn't come to terms as to why she starved herself. She didn't think she had a problem. She knew if anyone found out, they would send her to some place where she could get 'help,' but she didn't need it. She just wanted the scars from her past to go away.   
She walked back to the table, and saw Morgan on the phone. When he hung up, he said, "There's another victim."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I absolutely HATE this chapter. I think it was WAY too short, but I had a hard time filling it in. It took me awhile to take the time to finish this, but I had to write this so you would understand the upcoming chapters...  
> If you decided to skip to the bottom, upon realizing it was a flashback, I understand (I'm not a huge fan of flash blacks either). Here's a full summary:  
> Del has a 'pet' frog, and returns home from school. She is beaten, and is locked in their basement for two days, and is finally released by her mother. She goes to school the next day, and comes back home. Her father is drunk, and kicks her out. She walks around the neighborhood until about midnight. Her neighbor comes up to her, and offers to walk her home. He hands her his grey jacket, and takes her back to her house. It is revealed that his name is Noah, and she accidentally kept his jacket.  
> I can't give you anymore hints, but I guarantee that the upcoming chapters will be more interesting.

~5 years ago- Houston, Texas~  
An eight year old Del walked home from school with her only friend; a frog.  
She found it when her and her family had lived in Little Rock. She was coming home from school one day, and stopped by the lake.  
Her parents didn't know about it; she kept him in a cozy shoebox she had found one day. She had named him Cepter, and treated him like he was a person. When ever she was given food, she gave him a most unburnt, or most un-expired portion it. She would play with him when she had the chance, and pretend he could talk. He was there for her when no one else was.  
Whenever she had a chance, whether it was at the crack of dawn, or midnight, she would always find a time when she could take him to the pond about a mile from their home. She would sometimes get caught, but she always hid him before her parents could see him. She would protect him, even it cost her a full night of torturous beatings.  
When Del opened the door to the house, and saw her father, sprawled out on the couch, with a huge empty bottle of whiskey in his hand. He wore worn jeans and a stained white t-shirt.  
Del quickly hid Cepter in her pocket, and tried to make it to her room unnoticed. She quickly put Cepter in his shoebox, and started to do her homework.  
"Come here!" Her father shouted. Del stood, and walked back in the living room. He was now sitting on the couch, taking large swigs of whiskey.  
"Make me somethin' to eat." Del nodded. "Yes, sir." She turned her back, and walked into the kitchen.  
She took out, bread, lettuce, tomatoes, turkey slices, and mozzarella cheese. She made him a sandwich, and put some Cheetos. She put it on the mobile dinner-plate, and made a glass of water. She walked the plate over to him, and set it down on the table.  
He started to eat it, and Del stayed there, eyeing his sandwich. He noticed and laughed.  
"You want food? You're already fat, and I don't want a fat daughter. You can skip a few meals." Del nodded, embarrassed.  
When he was finished, she took it back to the kitchen, and wiped the dishes clean.  
When she was finished, she went back to her room, and thought about what her father said.  
You're already fat.  
Del looked down at her stomach; she could easily count each and every rib. She looked down at her thighs; the skin hugged the bones tightly. Still; there was skin.  
She went back to her homework, but then someone suddenly burst through the door. It was her father. He wreaked of alcohol and liquor.  
"Get up." His voice was shaky, unstable.  
Del stood, and looked up to him. She was shorter than him, the top of her head barely reaching his neck.  
He grabbed her roughly and walked her to the basement, below the house.  
The room had 'scary' written all over it. It was considerably small. It had no windows, and only one way to get out. There was a metal chest on the back right wall, and a twin size mattress on the left.  
Her father opened the chest, and revealed a sharp knife. He shoved Del on the mattress and tied her up with rope. He commenced to cut her several times; Once on the neck, twice on each arm, and five other times on her stomach.  
Del made a shocking discovery that night. She liked it.  
She liked the way the knife caressed her skin, causing blood to spill. She liked how it felt to forget everything by inflicting an 'out-of-this-world' feeling.  
dklfj;skjf;klsdjf;lksdjf;kdsfj;lk  
Her father left her in the basement for two days.  
Her mother came, and untied her without making any eye-contact.  
She was given a small amount of rice and water.  
She checked on Cepter, and gave him all of what she was given. Cepter ate it, while on Del's mattress.  
She drank a half of the water, wanting to re-moisturize Cepter. Once she poured some water on him, she put a cloth in the shoebox, and continued to moisturize the cloth. She put Cepter back in the box, and checked the clock that was in the hallway. 11:00pm.  
She knew she would have to make some sort of excuse for her absence at school. She slipped into the covers, and quickly fell asleep.  
kdjf;kljdf;lkja;lkdjffkdsajf;lksajdfkldjf;lsdkfj;lsakj;ldkfj;sj;dkf;skjf;ksdajf;kj  
Del entered the door to her class, and sat down at her seat.  
A petite, blond woman with a green, long skirt, and white button up shirt stepped in front with a large smile on her face.  
"Good morning class, I'm going to take attendance!" She called out all of the names, and then Del.  
"Alrighty, since everyone is here, we can learn some Math and Science!" The teacher commenced the lesson, asking questions once in a while.  
When it was lunch time, Del walked up to the desk.  
"Ms. Withers? I want to apologize for my absence the last two days. I had a cold." Ms. Withers nodded, and responded, "Okay, I'll excuse you."  
After lunch was over, Del returned to class.  
After a few more hours, school was dismissed.  
Del started home, with Cepter still in her pocket.  
It had rained that night, so she let Cepter sit in a puddle for about five minutes before continuing to walk home.  
Once she arrived, her mother was on the kitchen floor, scrubbing the grime away. Her father was passed out on he couch, with a enormous empty bottle of vodka.  
Del scurried to her room, anxious not to have her father take her back to the basement.  
She put Cepter in his box, and put him backpack aside.  
She thought back to the time she had felt the blade deepening itself into her skin. She drew her hand up to her arms, looking for the scars. None of them were really noticeable, except the one on her neck. She glanced at it in the mirror, and figured she could hide it with a scarf. She thought that she could rip some cloth, and make it some what appealing.  
"Del, come here!" Del started to shake uncontrollably. She stood, and went to the living room.  
Her father threw a bottle at her, and missed her by an inch.  
"Get out of my f***ing house, you little b****!" Del ran out of the door, and left.  
She ran for a long time period until her ankles and legs gave out. She rested on a park bench for awhile.  
She figured it was around 10:00 or 11:00pm, and that she should probably find some kind of place to stay.  
She stood shakily, and walked around the park for awhile, until she felt a tap on her shoulder. She quickly turned around, and came face to face with her neighbor. He wore dark jeans, a brown t-shirt, and combat boots.  
"Hi, Del. You must be freezing." He handed her his gray t-shirt, and wrapped it around her shoulders.  
Del had seen him walk during the day, and walk his dog. She sometimes would have a short conversation with him, but she never found out what his name was.  
"Thanks."  
She was a little frightened by the idea of being alone at night with a man she barely knew; she was taught never to trust strangers.  
"Isn't it a little late for you to be out here?" Del nodded. "Do your parents know you're out here?" Del nodded.  
"Let me walk you home." Del nodded, unsure of how long the walk would be.  
They both started to walk towards Del's house, taking in the cool breeze.  
The last time Del had felt somewhat safe was when her aunt had taken her to the beach, and let her go to swim for a couple of minutes.  
Del sighed, knowing she should relish this moment, and enjoy it while it lasts.  
When she walked up the steps to her house, he followed.  
"Do you want me to stay, and wait for you to get in safely?" Del shook her head, afraid of what her father might do if he was still awake.  
"No, thank you." The man nodded, and walked back down the steps. Del's curiosity took over, and called out, "What's your name?"  
The man met her gaze, and said, "Noah." Del nodded, and carefully opened the door.  
jkdfkdf;aksf;kajs;dkfja;kfj  
Only the next day, was she aware that she had accidentally kept his jacket.


End file.
